Man wounded by gunfire on San Diego Trolley

A man riding the San Diego trolley was shot after an altercation with another passenger in Lincoln Park Friday, and police are searching for the gunman, authorities said.

Passengers ran from the trolley cars in panic, but no one else was injured, police said. The victim was taken to a hospital and is expected to survive.

Doreen Cortez, who was headed home to Spring Valley, said she was sitting behind the victim when she heard the gun go off.

“It was so scary,” Cortez said.

The 20-year-old victim and his cousin had boarded the eastbound Orange Line trolley at the City College stop and got into a confrontation with another young man also climbing onboard, said San Diego police Lt. Ken Hubbs.

At one point during the ride, the victim’s cousin and the gunman got into a physical fight, and the man lifted up his shirt to show a handgun tucked in his waistband, Hubbs said.

The cousin told the man to back down, and the fight ended.

As the train pulled up to the 47th Street stop about 2 p.m., the gunman stepped off, turned around, and fired into the car. The victim was hit in the side at least once.

Other shots shattered glass on the trolley but didn’t cause any major damage, Hubbs said.

The gunman was last seen running north and west of the trolley stop. He was described as black, in his 20s, with a slight mustache, wearing a black T-shirt and jeans.

Passengers were boarded onto buses to resume their trips, said Rob Schupp, spokesman for the Metropolitan Transit Service. Trolley service was delayed about 15 minutes. Trains are able to pass through the station but are not loading or unloading passengers there while police investigate the crime.